Ryan Hicks convicted in murder of roommate, David Noren, of Lakewood; sentenced to life in prison

Noran disappeared in 2013, body found on roadside

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. - A Jefferson County jury has found a roommate guilty on all 11 counts in the murder of a Lakewood man last year.

After the Friday verdict, the judge immediately sentenced 35-year-old Ryan Boyd Hicks to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Hicks was convicted in the murder of David Noren, who disappeared on May 21. Noren's body was found about two weeks later along Fall River Road in Clear Creek County.

After a 12-day trial, the jury deliberated one day before finding Hicks guilty on all counts: first-degree murder after deliberation, first-degree murder involving robbery, aggravated robbery, aggravated motor vehicle theft, evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse.

Hicks was also found guilty on five counts of identity theft for stealing and using Noren's credit and debit cards, said Pam Russell, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office.

Family members told 7NEWS that Noren had sold his house in Arizona and was temporarily living with a roommate that he'd found on Craigslist while looking for a new house in Colorado.

They say Noren never mentioned anything about problems with his roommate. Police told family members that money was withdrawn from Noren's account the day he was reported missing.

Police say Hicks took off for Arizona shortly after Noren disappeared and was arrested in Safford, Arizona, after allegedly breaking into his father’s house.

Hicks had a history of violent crime.

According to court records, Hicks was charged with attempted first-degree murder in April 2005 for throwing a man off a stairwell. Later that same month, in a separate case, he was charged with assault and attempted abortion following an attack on his pregnant girlfriend.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree assault for throwing the man off the stairwell. In the attack his girlfriend, a jury found him guilty of third-degree assault, court records state.

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.